I conducted an experiment on myself over 10 years ago with regard to diet. I wanted to see what effect eliminating sugar and alcohol from my diet would have on my body. So I did it. ZERO sugar/corn sweeterner/etc of any kind in any amount(this was difficult to do since almost all packaged food has sweeteners of some kind). Zero alcohol of any kind in any amount. I did it for six months and weighed myself every sunday morning at exactly the same time imediately after waking up. Other than these two things I ate as much as I wanted. NO exercising.
I consistently lost 1/2 pound every week for the entire 24 weeks. 12 pounds lighter basically by doing NOTHING...and I was only about 15 lbs overweight to start with. I beleive that if everyone eliminated these 2 things for a period of 2 years there would be no fat people. Period.
I have done the same thing, I cut Alcohol and processed foods of any kind as well as salt out of my diet, I still use honey to sweeten hot tea, and eat some whole grain pasta, but have been eating all the lean protein fruit and green vegetables i can put in my hungry maw still dropping pounds at more than 1 a week I was 218lbs mid July I am 173 as of this morning. I have no exercised one push up or jogged nothing other than eliminating the rubbish the food industry serves us and the booze except for one a week on Saturday night in small amounts and Sunday i am a half pound heavy every time off just 3 or 4 beers low carb ones at that is enough to add back a half pound alcohol is probably the single worse thing someone can put in there body other than crack cocaine.